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Abstract

Why individuals watch dramatized narratives about mortality and futility has been discussed throughout the history of dramatic criticism (Dukore, 1974). However the value in watching tragedy for people’s understanding of death had not been specifically studied. This project explored the reactions of people who watched and performed a tragedy about death to address two research goals: to understand how people react to dramatic portrayals that either enable finding meaning in the tradition of tragedy or challenge the idea of finding meaning in the absurdist tradition, and to document how people report aspects of the play that are helpful for dealing with loss experiences, in particular the role that existential challenges and functional illusions play in their experiences.
The basis for this study was a play about the death of a man and its implications for his family. Audience members and creative team members were recruited to participate and reported their reactions to the play in focus group discussions and interviews. Participant reactions were recorded verbatim and analyzed using interpretive description qualitative methodology (Thorne et al., 2004).
This was pioneer study that involved a new play and feedback from participants who engaged with that work. The findings suggest that tragedy could be a means of communication about death. In watching a tragedy several psychological and emotional needs are met (Becker, 1973; Greenberg, 1997). The global theme of the analysis was the significance of death stories, which involved three themes: reactions towards the elements of story, the search for meaning in the play, and the power of drama to normalize experiences with death. In particular, the shared experience and participants’ engagement with the play on a personal level appeared to provide ways for them to absorb existential themes in the play and speak to their need to find meaning in death. Participant resonance with the death stories portrayed in the play combined with the death stories they told suggest that narrative may be a powerful device when looking for ways to find significance and solace in loss. These findings highlight ways drama could be helpful in palliative nursing and grief therapy.